Fjelta's Night in Suran
by SoulofChrysamere
Summary: A high-spirited young Nord woman helps her friend recover an amulet of which she was robbed.


FJELTA'S NIGHT IN SURAN

Fjelta happily jaunted along the road from Pelagiad with her heavy travel cloak's hood down, allowing the downpour from Rain's Hand's latest namesake to freely bathe her fair-skinned face and rich blonde hair. Most people loathed such travel conditions, but the stormy weather provided an odd rapture for her, letting her breathe in the moist air and listen to the rainfall's pattering, hear the thunder crack while watching its electric heraldry streak through the clouds, and take in the scenery cast under the dual blanket of a raindrop sheen and the grayish tint of an overcast sky. Even the sloshing sound her boots made as she trudged down the muddy path spread a childlike grin across her face, and she purposely spurred her gait to cause splashing.

When her thoughts weren't on the stroll, they drifted to what she would do once she arrived in Suran. It had been over six months since she had last been on Vvardenfell, and she was barely a week into her revisit. Vivec had proved just as intriguing this time as it previously had for the few days she spent there, but she had always preferred the small country town setting to the metropolitan. Even so, she couldn't help smiling as she recalled the fit that Ordinator had thrown when she swiped his sandwich in the cornerclub. The rather creative swearing he loosed still made her giggle.

It took most of the afternoon, but Suran's Velothi buildings eventually peeped over the Isles' small rolling hills just as the misty post-rainstorm twilight began to creep in. The last stretch of pathway just before town had turned to calve-deep sludge thanks to the swollen river, but Fjelta managed to finally wade her way to the little welcome arch. She gave the guard leaning against the wall a sarcastic look of annoyance, hoping to toy with him a bit for his lack of chivalry. He remained motionless however, and she frowned as she entered the town.

"Nice walk?" He wisecracked.

"Lovely!" Fjelta enthusiastically replied with a glance back.

It didn't take long for Fjelta to find her way to the tradehouse. When she opened the door, the typical sounds and sights of a tavern's interior at sundown emerged. Mixed chatter, clinking tankards, scurrying waiters, patrons of all classes ranging from the mildly buzzed to the deeply drunk with aptly dressed harlots plying their trade among them – it was all there. This wasn't the allure that drew her, though. She started moseying between the tables in search of a local buddy who shared in her pastime.

After a bit, she spied her at one of the tables against the wall – a small, wiry, slight-framed Breton woman, dressed in a bluish tunic-like shawl and face deep in a bowl of stew with her curly red locks draped 'round. Fjelta sauntered up and slid into a chair across the table.

"Hey there, Redlocks." Fjelta said as she leaned forward with folded arms.

The girl sat up straight, startled and with broth plastered all over her freckled cheeks and chin. Her lively green eyes lit up when she recognized her visitor.

"Fjelta!" She exclaimed, giddily clasping her hands together and grinning like a little schoolgirl.

"In the flesh! I was hoping I'd find you here!" Fjelta said, cracking a smile of her own.

"Well, here I am! Gods, it's been..._months_, hasn't it?" Redlocks asked as she wiped off her broth beard.

"Yeah, long time. Over half a year, I reckon. Figured I was due for another visit." Fjelta answered.

"Ha ha, damn right you were! I've missed you! It's not as fun screwing with the locals by myself." Redlocks agreed.

"Heh. We do have some fun together, don't we?" Fjelta mused.

"Mhmm! I still crack up whenever I think about that time we tricked that caravaner into thinking his guar could talk the last time you were here." Redlocks said in-between mouthfuls of food.

Fjelta burst into laughter at the memory. "I can't believe he didn't think to look under huge blanket on its back."

The two chattered for a time, sharing the experiences the past half year had yielded. They chuckled...snickered – two good friends catching up.

"Ah ha ha...well, you know anyone that could use some messing with tonight?" Fjelta finally asked.

Redlock's jovial countenance faded at the query. "Well, actually, I kinda have my own problem right now." She said, fiddling with her hair.

"...Is something wrong?" Fjelta asked, concernedly furrowing her brow.

"Eh, yesterday, I was jumped by a couple of robbers while out doing a little romping. You remember that ruby necklace Geres gave me? The one he nicked from Nerano's place in Balmora? They took it." Redlocks answered.

"Don't you always carry an Intervention scroll with you?" Fjelta asked.

"Yeah, of course. But they surprised me and I didn't have time to read it. Anyway, after they left, I secretly followed 'em to this cave they're holed up in. It's across the ridge over in the Ashlands, but it's not that far out. I've had half a mind to go get it back." Redlocks replied.

Fjelta leaned back and nodded thoughtfully while twiddling a fork through her fingers. "Well, Rescina, looks like I know what we'll be doing tonight." She said finally.

Rescina's eyes widened in hybrid surprise and excitement. "You mean...we're going to get it? Tonight?" She asked.

"Why not? I know how much you like that thing. Plus, you and Geres are good pals of mine. Last I checked, we don't take kindly to folks hassling our pals." Fjelta pressed.

"Well, true. It's just that...those guys didn't seem above gutting people when they mugged me. They're the type that pulls their blades first and _then_ demands your stuff." Rescina said.

"Meh, most are. But as I recall, we've hoodwinked they're kind before. A few times, actually." Fjelta noted.

"Well, yeah. Although, we usually had a little more info on 'em. We don't even know how many of them there are." Rescina cautioned.

"Guess we'll find out when we get there, then." Fjelta said with a shrug.

"You seem pretty cool about infiltrating a smugglers' den on the fly, Fjelta." Rescina said.

"Well, we'll be smart about it, of course. But this isn't anything we haven't done before." Fjelta argued.

Rescina reclined in her chair, nervously fingering one of her curls. She panned her eyes unsurely and thoughtfully nibbled her lip. Fjelta just sat there watching her, absentmindedly drumming on a bottle with her fork. Rescina spent several minutes pondering, but she finally consented with a slight nod.

"Alright, let's do it. So, when are we going?" Rescina asked.

"Right now sound good?" Fjelta replied while standing.

"As good as any, I guess. Figured you'd want to eat something first, though." Rescina answered as she rose.

"I've been munching on some roast strips I got from the tavern in Pelagiad all day, so I'm good. Besides, won't do us much good if I pass out halfway through this thing from a food coma." Fjelta said, clasping Rescina's shoulder.

"Heh, true." Rescina agreed as the two headed out.

Nighttime had set in by the time they left, but they spared themselves the lengthy and muddy trek around the ridge by climbing up onto one of the buildings and using the well-known dip open to more athletic travelers. Once down into the Ashlands, Rescina's memory proved true, and the pair soon found themselves before a crudely-hewn yet heavy wooden door in the side of a small mountain.

"Can you see through anywhere?" Fjelta whispered as she kept watch around themselves for wayward beasts.

"Uh, yeah, there's a little slit here." Rescina responded as she tried to peer through. She could barely make out part of a passage in the low torchlight. "I can't see very far in, but it looks clear." She said.

"Mmkay. Well, if they went to the trouble of making a door this solid, I'm willing to bet they put a lock on it too." Fjelta mused.

"Already on it." Rescina said as she instinctively drew a pick and tested the handle. "Yep, bugger's locked." She confirmed as she set to picking.

The lock was tough, but Rescina managed to work through it quickly enough. Once it clicked, she pocketed the pick and tapped Fjelta, who was still watching for animals.

"All done?" Fjelta asked as she peeped through the crack between the boards.

"Yep. You ready?" Rescina asked.

"I am..." Fjelta began as she took a vial and cloth out of her cloak. "...but that door's not."

Rescina cocked a brow at her. "What do you...oh." She said when she saw the vial.

"We open this door right now, it'll groan like a wounded alit." Fjelta said as she dabbed the cloth with oil and began applying it to the rusted hinges.

"Lucky for us you always have some o' that oil on ya, I reckon." Rescina noted.

"Gotta keep yer steel from rusting somehow when you travel as much as me. Contrary to what some folks think, steel does rust. Just takes longer than iron." Fjelta replied.

"Aye." Rescina agreed, nodding.

Fjelta generously lubed all three hinges in short order. When she finished, she pocketed the cloth and vial and glanced through the slit one more time. "Now we're ready, and I still don't see anyone. Let's do it."

Rescina quickly ripped open the door and the two slipped inside. There was still some slight creaking, but it was much less than what it would have been without the oiling. She then closed the door and the pair slowly edged down the poorly lit passage, snuffing the couple of torches as they went. Eventually they reached a corner.

"See anything?" Rescina asked as Fjelta eased her head around.

"Not much. It looks like it opens up into a little room. A couple boxes and a table, but the lighting's piss poor. Just got these couple lanterns sitting on the table." Fjelta answered.

"See anyone?" Rescina asked.

"Nope. Looks like there's a little hall off to the left, though. I think we can squeeze behind those boxes I see, too. What do y-" Fjelta was cut off by a voice that suddenly echoed from further inside.

"I swear, I get one more o' those f***in' rats in my bedroll while I'm sleepin', and I'm gonna lace this whole damn cave with traps." A raspy male voice said, growing louder as it spoke.

"C'mon, over behind the crates. _Now._" Fjelta said as she pulled Rescina along by the arm.

The two quickly slinked behind the boxes as the conversation continued.

"Ah settle down, Trestis. 'Least y'ain't the one that's gotta try and find enough food fer us in this wasteland. I get that job." Another smoother male voice retorted.

The two voices carried on their bickering, slowly getting louder and closer. Eventually, footsteps accompanied them. Fjelta grasped Rescina's shoulder.

"You remember how to choke someone out? Like I showed you?" Fjelta asked.

"Yeah. You think we'll have to put 'em under?" Rescina replied.  
"Gonna have to unless they're leaving. Have 'em take a nap." Fjelta confirmed.

Then, the voices' owners finally showed, coming out of the passage. One was a medium-built Imperial man in a crude leather jerkin and trousers. The other was a typical short and skinny Bosmer dressed a heavier jerkin and sporting chitin leggings. The latter had a laden quiver strapped to his back and a shortbow on his shoulder as per his task as a hunter.

"Didn't you already have one shift this mornin'?" The Bosmer asked.

"Yeah, but Grolfjur went on another drinking binge this afternoon an' he's passed out in his hammock. And I guess Larsyn figured I'd complain the least." Trestis answered as he plopped down in a small chair at the table.

"Ha ha. Between you, Urvog, and Senala, he's probably right. Although, seems like you've been drinking plenty yourself." The Bosmer agreed.

Trestis just shrugged.

"Well, wish I could stay, but Larsyn's got me going out again." The hunter said.

"After dark?" Trestis asked.

"Aye. He's obsessin' o'er how low our store of alit meat's gettin'. I told him I knew a place with a good few of 'em I could go to tomorrow, but he told me to go out there now. So yeah, gonna be doing a night hunt." The Bosmer replied.

"Hmph. Well good luck." Trestis said.

"Yeah, thanks. Any luck, I'll be back before long." The Wood Elf thanked as he started up the hallway outside. "Looks like the torches went out again." He called back.

"I'll get around to it." Trestis said as he propped up his feet on the table.

"Well, his back's to us, luckily." Fjelta whispered very quietly.

"Mhmm. Who's doing the honors?" Rescina asked.

"I'll take him. Wait here and watch that hall." Fjelta said as she carefully rose and vaulted over the crate.

Fjelta steadily crept up behind Trestis, who was reclined in the chair and just staring off into space. She quickly wrapped one arm around his neck, catching his carotid right in her elbow's crook, and used her other arm to brace the top of his head. Trestis attempted to flail, but Fjelta's ambush and his drunkenness left him limp and unconscious in just a few seconds. Once she was sure he was out, Fjelta then slumped him forward on the desk.

"Shouldn't we hide him?" Rescina asked as she slowly emerged from behind her box.

"Nah, no need. Guy reeks of booze. They'll just think he's passed out drunk." Fjelta said as she started over toward the passage. "Alright, nice and careful, now."

"We'll have to remember that hunter guy's out. Don't want to get surprised by him when he comes back." Rescina warned as the two slowly inched through the dimly lit passage.

"Yeah, we'll have to watch for him." Fjelta agreed.

The girls came to another corner, and they poked their heads around to see a more open and well illuminated room with a wooden floor installed to level out the ground. Several stacks of crates stood against the cave wall to the left and another table stood off to the right, all underneath a makeshift awning. Three big lanterns hanging from the awning's crossbeam served to light the place. Two small passages in the back branched off to the left and right.

"Don't see anyone." Rescina said.

"Me neither, but there's not really anywhere to hide if we're caught out in the open." Fjelta replied.

"Well, then we'll have to pick a path and be fast. Not really much choice." Rescina insisted.

"Yeah...alright. Left path, let's go. Quickly." Fjelta said as she started moving.

Rescina followed behind closely, and they wound their way through to another small room with a couple more boxes and several bedrolls and hammocks packed into it. A large, shirtless Nordic man was lying practically comatose in one of the hammocks. The whole room was fairly dark though, since the only light source was a dying campfire in the center.

"Well, there's Grolfjur." Rescina whispered.

"Yep. Not really much else here. Let's see what's down that other hall. We've got to run into those other three guys sometime." Fjelta said.

"Yeah. We're not going to be able to safely search all these crates, though." Rescina lamented as the two returned and started down the other path.

"A necklace that nice, they're going to keep it someplace safe. Their boss probably has it locked away in a personal strongbox or something." Fjelta mused as they came to a corner.

"From what that Wood Elf said, sounds like that 'Larsyn' guy's in charge." Rescina added.

A male Dunmer voice sounded from beyond. "Look, Urvog, unless you can keep from beating folks half to death each time we do a holdup, you're out of here." It said.

"So I like to have some fun with 'em. Why ya 'n' the others so tight-assed about it?" An Orcish voice replied.

Both girls looked around the corner to see a smallish, slender, cross-armed Dunmeri man swathed in a blackish-gray shirt and pants arguing with a large, muscular Orcish man in a crudely-fitted metal cuirass, baggy brown slacks, and large, thick boots who was holding a heavy two-handed axe against his side. A Dunmeri woman with bound red hair and wearing a brownish jerkin with netchhide pants stood beside the male elf with her hands on her hips.

"'Cause if you start killin' people and bodies start showin' up on the road, butchered and mangled, there's gonna be a damn witch hunt!" The elven man tersely retorted.

"And don't start s***tin' us with the whole 'They won't come way out here.' bit. We're a stone's throw over the ridge." The woman added.

"So we'll clobber their asses if they wanna come tussle." Urvog said.

"I guess that elf guy's Larsyn. And that Orc and lady are the ones that held me up." Rescina whispered to Fjelta.

"Yeah? Well, let's hope we don't have to tangle with that bruiser." Fjelta answered.

"We might have to if they don't leave quick. That guy you put out'll wake up eventually, and we've still got that hunter." Rescina said.

"I don't plan on us being here long enough for hunter boy to come back before we're gone. And as for these guys, just calm down. Maybe this'll be over soon." Fjelta replied.

"Oh, so you want us to fight a squad o' town guards and probably quite a few other pissed off folks? We ain't f***in' soldiers, and there's only six of us." Larsyn said.

"Last I checked, their skin ain't any tougher than ours." Urvog retorted.

"No, but their bonemold outfits are." Larsyn rebutted.

"My axe don't think so." Urvog said.

"That's 'cause yer axe hasn't tried to chop through it before." The woman angrily replied.

"So what? I ain't met nuthin' yet I couldn't beat the s*** out of." Urvog said.

Larsyn heaved a heavy, frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his short black hair. "Look, Urvog, I'll be plain. You rough up one more person for no reason, and you're done. Understand me?" He said, exasperated.

"Hmph. Fine, have it your way." Urvog said with a shrug. He then turned to leave.

Fjelta and Rescina shrunk back behind the corner. "He's coming this way..." Rescina whispered worriedly.

"Easy, don't freak. C'mon, we'll surprise him." Fjelta replied as she led the way back down the hall.

"You mean we're gonna try and take this guy? I thought you just said we were going to try and avoid him!" Rescina said.

"In a brawl, yeah. If we jump him together, we can put him out easy. I'm bigger, so you hop up and choke him. I'll grab him 'round the middle and keep him from flailing. Do it right, he'll be out in a flash. 'Kay?" Fjelta answered.

"I don't know, Fjelta..." Rescina faltered.

Urvog's footsteps grew louder. Fjelta seized Rescina by the shoulders and looked her in her eyes.

"Look Redlocks, you can do this, alright? And you've got me here. Now, you with me?" Fjelta asked, a certain maternal overtone in her voice.

Rescina took a deep, quiet breath. "Okay. Let's do it." She said.

"Alright. You get on the other side, in the corner. I'll wait right here. He's coming, so get ready." Fjelta said.

The girls got into position, and when the Orc rounded the corner, they sprung. Rescina vaulted up and latched onto his neck, cupping her free arm's hand over his mouth to squelch him and wrapping her legs around his upper arms. Fjelta crashed into him and bear-hugged him around the waist, immobilizing his lower arms and anchoring him in place. Urvog managed a wild kick to one of Fjelta's shins, but Rescina's hold proved true and he quickly went silent. Rescina quickly dismounted and helped handle him before Fjelta got crushed.

"Mmph...okay, let's haul this guy in there with the Nord." Fjelta said, nodding to the hall leading to the bunk room and gripping Urvog underneath his arms.

"Ungh...alright. I'll lead." Rescina replied as she hoisted up his legs and started walking.

"'Kay, deep breath. We don't wanna grunt and wake that guy up." Fjelta said as they entered the room.

"Right." Rescina agreed before drawing in a long breath.

The girls managed to keep the Orc's metal cuirass from clanging as they gently lowered him onto one of the bedrolls. They then quickly snuck back into the hall before exhaling.

"Phew. That's my girl." Fjelta said, ruffling Rescina's hair.

"Heh. Where do you think those other two, are?" Rescina asked.

"Probably bickering amongst themselves now. I don't hear 'em out here, though." Fjelta answered as they emerged from the hall.

"Check back down there? They've gotta go to sleep too if we're gonna have a bit to search." Rescina suggested as she pointed back down the other hallway.

"Might as well. We'll need a plan of attack if they are, though. Probably can't just creep up behind 'em." Fjelta said as they moved back down the hall.

"Yeah, but I don't really know what we're going to do short of waiting for them to come out here and jump them like the Orc." Rescina protested.

"Well, you're birthsigh's the Shadow, isn't it? Slip up next to 'em unseen?" Fjelta asked.

"That'd work for me, but what about you? You're the Tower. And I can't muscle them both. Besides, this seems like a pretty trivial usage for a power." Rescina replied.

"The other one will be distracted and I can rush him. Not really a whole lot of options, anyway. We try and play another waiting game, and we just might end up dealing with those guys twice...plus the hunter." Fjelta insisted.

Rescina loosed a grimaced sigh. "Alright...guess I'll take the girl. You'd better reach the guy fast, though." She said.

"My long legs haven't failed me yet." Fjelta replied.

The two elves were still in the room and, as predicted, were now arguing amongst themselves. Fjelta and Rescina slowly peered around the corner and saw the two Dunmer swapping frustrated gestures along with their words.

"That damn Orc is more trouble than he'll ever be worth, Larsyn. There's no point in keeping that bastard around." The woman said.

"He might be all muscle and no brains, Senala, but that's why we need him. You can't beat a huge brute when you're looking to intimidate." Larsyn replied.

"Didn't we just say to that very brute's face that he needed to stop mindlessly beating up the people we rob?" Senala countered.

"Yes. _'Beating them up'_ being the keywords. If you were some ordinary traveler, would you go toe-to-toe with him with the kind of crazed stare he shoots ya?" Larsyn asked.

"If I thought I was going to be murdered whether I forked over my s*** or not, hell yes! I ain't just gonna roll over and die, not even for a miniature ogrim!" Senala barked.

Larsyn buried his face in one of his palms. "Senala, we start cuttin' folks loose without warnings, and they'll just maybe be pissed enough to call the law in on us or take out a personal vendetta. Now, I meant what I said. He beats someone unprovoked again, and he's outta here. But this ain't no damn dictatorship."

"No, it's not. But it f***in' should be. I swear, if it wasn't for the good pickings 'round here, I'd have gone a long time ago. You're too damn soft and stubborn. Hell, I bet you haven't even _considered_ putting up supports in the other rooms like I suggested. Gonna take an actual cave-in for you to do somethin' about that, isn't it?" Senala responded.

"Now don't try and change the subject, woman..." Larsyn said.

Fjelta leaned into Rescina's ear. "You uh...wanna go ahead and do this? Time's wastin', and I've heard enough o' this."

Rescina gulped unsurely. "You did hear that part about cave-ins...right?"

"Yeah, I did. So let's finish this and bolt before we have to find out how weak these ceilings are." Fjelta answered.

Rescina drew in a nervous breath. "Alright...get ready."

Fjelta shifted her stance as Rescina whispered her Shadow power's incantation and vanished from sight. The nimble little Breton was able to quickly slink behind Senala thanks jointly to her own invisibility and the pair's preoccupation with itself. It wasn't even ten seconds before Rescina rematerialized with Senala in a headlock. As soon as her friend showed, Fjelta darted toward Larsyn, who was surprised by the sudden attack.

Larsyn noticed Fjelta and turned to face her, but by the time he did, she had closed the gap. She clotheslined him one arm and pivoted around behind him to complete the hold. Both Dunmer struggled briefly, but the two girls' grips prevailed and the elves' movement quickly ceased. After confirming their unconsciousness, Fjelta and Rescina started looking for special containers.

The room itself was somewhat tiny, with a wooden floor just like the main storage room. A small table stood at the back with a lone crate to one side and a bedroll to the other. Two torches on either side of the room served to partially light it.

"Probably going to be some kind of smaller chest or lockbox. Something just for the really good stuff – stuff he wants." Fjelta said with a wave to the unconscious Larsyn.

"Right...think I might've just found it." Rescina replied as she pulled a small jewelry box out of a sack underneath the table.

"Yeah? Hmm. Well, set her down and let's see." Fjelta said.

"Mmkay...probably got a smaller lock for this thing...yep." Rescina confirmed as she pulled out a very small and skinny lockpick and set the box down on the table.

"That thing might have a trap on it, y'know." Fjelta warned as Rescina started picking the lock.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too. We can look for one after I finish with the lock." Rescina said.

The slender pick's small size and frailty made defeating the lock a trial by patience, but Rescina eventually managed to work it open despite several failed attempts. "Finally...hate these tiny locks." Rescina said as she stowed the pick.

"Heh. Yeah, they're a pain. Now about that trap..." Fjelta said as she knelt down beside Rescina.

The two girls spent a couple of minutes inspecting the box as best they could with their short timeframe. To their surprise, neither of them could locate any kind of trap rigging, physical or magical. After a quick rechecking, Rescina slowly eased the lid open.

There, right on top, lay a golden amulet with large twin rubies vertically inlaid on the neckpiece. Rescina gasped in recognition and gingerly scooped it up. She fingered it for a moment, but then pocketed it.

"Think we should go ahead and nick the other pieces?" Fjelta suggested.

"Might get a pretty drake for 'em back in town." Rescina answered.

"You do have your Intervention scroll on you still, right?" Fjelta asked.

"Yeah, why?" Rescina replied.

"Just in case..." Fjelta said.

"You nervous about the cave-ins too, huh?" Rescina pressed.

"Never said I wasn't." Fjelta answered, twitching her lips concernedly.

However, their musings were interrupted by a strange noise that emanated from the jewelry box. Both of them looked at it curiously, and Fjelta's eyes widened as the sound grew louder.

"Move, _now!_" Fjelta yelled as she pulled Rescina away.

A second later, a fireball shot upward from the box, right into the ceiling. There was a small explosion, and a few pebbles fell. Then, a deep rumbling sounded, followed by larger chunks of stone falling. The girls exchanged horrified looks, and Rescina started fumbling for her Intervention scroll.

"Now'd be a really good time for that scroll..." Fjelta said as led the way back through the hallway.

"Working on it..." Rescina answered as she finally managed to get it out.

She started to open it, but no sooner had she done so did a large chunk of stone fall next to her, tearing it and ripping it from her hands.

"Damn it!" Rescina exclaimed.

"Hey, focus! Forget about it and just run!" Fjelta barked as the two emerged from the passage.

The girls managed to reach the passage leading back to the little entrance room, but as Rescina entered it, she stumbled to her knees over a piece of debris. Another sizeable chunk of rock then glanced off of her right ankle before she could stand. Fjelta pulled her next to herself and slung one of Rescina's arms over her shoulders to help her run.

"I can still run on it!" Rescina insisted.

"Not as fast as with me, though! C'mon!" Fjelta said.

It required some nimble dodging, but the girls managed to burst through into the little foyer. Fjelta hurriedly snatched the lantern from the table – where Trestis still sat unconscious despite the disintegrating ceiling – and led the way back through the entrance passage. They managed to reach the door, but as Fjelta went to open it, a sharp piece of stone glanced off of her head, leaving a deep gouge from the crown to her nose and drawing a pained groan from her. Rescina quickly acted and ripped open the door herself. She yanked Fjelta through before any more falling debris could harm either of them.

Rescina collapsed to her bad leg's knee and Fjelta had her cloak's left sleeve pressed against her head to try and stop the bleeding. Both were breathing heavily from exertion, and each had numerous scrapes and cuts from the stones. The cave-in was mercifully minor compared to what it could have been, though. An earthquake would have likely caused a total collapse.

"You okay, Fjelta?" Rescina asked between tired breaths.

"Ungh...yeah. Damn rock caught me at the door, though." Fjelta answered.

"Yeah, I saw. Can I see?" Rescina asked.

Fjelta knelt down and handed Rescina the lantern. Rescina held the lantern up as Fjelta uncovered her cut, and her eyes softened sympathetically as she saw her friend's matted hair and sliced skin, all caked with blood just starting to dry.

"Oh gods..." Rescina said softly.

"Yeah, it cut me pretty good. I've got some healing potion I can drink, though." Fjelta said.

"We'll have to clean the wound first, though. Don't want your skin to stitch back together on top of a bunch of dirt and tiny pebbles and have you get a hellish infection by morning." Rescina cautioned.

"Yeah, I know. We'll have to get back to Suran for that, though." Fjelta replied.

"Well then," Rescina began as she shakily stood on her stricken ankle. "let's go. My ankle's going to take some doing to soothe too." She insisted.

"Yes, let's. Before something else happens. Also...I hope you hung on to that necklace." Fjelta agreed as she stood.

Rescina took out the amulet and flashed it in confirmation. "Right here."

"Heh, good." Fjelta said.

"Y'know, why did it take so long for that trap to trigger...and why couldn't we find it?" Rescina asked as the pair began walking.

"Well, the guy probably paid the first mage he could find that offered that kind of service. I'm guessing he was probably inexperienced or just not that good at rigging traps to spring at a precise time. Enchanters like that tend to compensate by meticulously masking the trap and making it very hard to detect for anyone not schooled in magic, so hopefully you'll remain there rummaging through the container long enough for the trap to eventually go off and catch you in it." Fjelta answered.

The conversation lasted for the entire trip back to Suran with Fjelta demonstrating her knowledge of various tricks and tips ranging from ways of caring for weapons out in the field to methods of conserving magicka for those who have small amounts such as herself, all the while with Rescina listening, enthralled. She sometimes forgot how deceptively smart her Nordic friend was. The time also seemed to pass by quicker. Before long, the two women found themselves back in the dip of the ridge with Suran's buildings sprawled out below.

"Y'know, you sure know a lot more than the average rogue, Fjelta." Rescina remarked as the two stood there looking out over the town for a moment.

Fjelta gave a grateful chuckle and wrapped an arm around her friend. "Well, Redlocks, maybe that's a big reason as to why I'm still here, while a lot of others aren't." She responded, ruffling Rescina's hair. "Now then...let's go get cleaned up." She said as she led the way down.


End file.
